Manuscript Detail | Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness

Doyle, O., Harmon, C., Heckman, J. J., Logue, C., & Moon, S. H. (2017). Early skill formation and the efficiency of parental investment: A randomized controlled trial of home visiting. Labour Economics, 45, 40-58.

Manuscript screening details
Screening decision	Screening conclusion	HomVEE procedures and standards version
Passes screens	Eligible for review	Version 2

Study design details
Rating	Design	Attrition	Baseline equivalence	Compromised randomization	Confounding factors	Valid, reliable measure(s)
High	Randomized controlled trial	Low	Not assessed for randomized controlled trials with low attrition	No	No	Yes

Notes:

Information on how certain measures were constructed and their reliability and on the inverse–probability-weighting procedures were based on correspondence with the author. HomVEE's calculations for statistical significance are used because authors' calculations are based on one-tailed statistical tests. Several findings not reported in the tables below, including all findings at 18 months, received a low or indeterminate rating because they had high attrition and did not satisfy the baseline equivalence requirement or did not satisfy the reliability requirement.

Study characteristics
Study participants	Study participants were pregnant women recruited in a maternity hospital or in the community. A total of 233 pregnant women were randomly assigned to either the Preparing for Life—Home Visiting group that received home visiting services (“high PFL”; 115 participants) or the comparison condition that did not receive home visiting services (“low PFL”; 118 participants). The study included a total of 173 participants, 83 in the high PFL group and 90 in the low PFL comparison group. Outcomes were measured when the children in the sample were six, 12, and 18 months old. At intake, the average age of the mothers was 25. The percentage of mothers identifying as Irish was 96 percent, and 4 percent identified as Irish Traveller. About half of the women were first-time mothers.
Setting	The study took place in North Dublin, Ireland.
Intervention services	Preparing for Life—Home Visiting provided home visits that lasted 30 minutes to two hours during the mother’s pregnancy and until the child started school at age 5. The majority of participants received visits every two weeks, though some participants received services monthly. The home visitor was a trained Preparing for Life mentor. The mentor provided information by using tip sheets and worked with participants to resolve issues around the child’s development, including the child’s prebirth development, nutrition, rest and routine, and cognitive and social development. The mentor also addressed the mother and her supports. Participants had access to baby massage sessions until the child was 10 months old. Participants also received packages of materials, including home safety items (corner guards, angle latches, heat-sensitive spoons, and baby gym/play mats) and toys (puzzles, activity toys, and bricks), worth about 100 Euros per package.
Comparison conditions	Participants in the low PFL (comparison) group did not have access to the home visiting services or tip sheets. The comparison group did, however, receive some of the same resources made available to the high PFL (intervention) group, including the package of safety items and toys. These participants had access to an information officer who met with participants before the child’s birth and at various intervals after birth and provided information on Preparing for Life community events and other local services. Participants in the comparison group had access to public health workshops, such as a stress-control program and a healthy food program.
Subgroups examined	This field lists subgroups examined in the manuscript (even if they were not replicated in other samples and not reported on the summary page for this model’s report). There were no subgroups reported in this manuscript.
Funding sources	The Atlantic Philanthropies and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (Ireland) supported the research.
Author affiliation	Dr. Doyle and the Preparing for Life Evaluation team are affiliated with the University College Dublin Geary Institute for Public Policy. The authors were contracted by the home visiting model developers to evaluate Preparing for Life—Home Visiting.
Peer reviewed	Yes

Study Registration:

Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: None found. SocialScienceRegistry.org Identifier: None found. Registry of Efficacy and Effectiveness Studies Identifier: None found. Study registration was assessed by HomVEE for Clinicaltrials.gov beginning with the 2014 review, and for other registries beginning with the 2021 review.

Findings that rate moderate or high

Child development and school readiness
Rating	Outcome measure	Effect	Sample	Timing of follow-up	Sample size	Intervention group	Comparison group	Group difference	Effect size	Statistical significance	Notes
High	Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), Fine motor score, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	12 months old	165 children	Unadjusted mean = 54.33	Unadjusted mean = 51.87	Mean difference = 2.46	Study reported = 0.26	Not statistically significant, p = 0.10	Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.
High	Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), Gross motor score, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	12 months old	165 children	Unadjusted mean = 42.07	Unadjusted mean = 40.72	Mean difference = 1.35	Study reported = 0.07	Not statistically significant, p = 0.64	Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.
High	Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), Gross motor score, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	6 months old	173 children	Unadjusted mean = 40.78	Unadjusted mean = 38.50	Mean difference = 2.28	Study reported = 0.18	Not statistically significant, p = 0.23	Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.
High	Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), Social-Emotional score, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	12 months old	165 children	Unadjusted mean = 23.48	Unadjusted mean = 21.14	Mean difference = 2.34	Study reported = 0.12	Not statistically significant, p = 0.43	Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.
High	Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), Social-Emotional score, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	6 months old	173 children	Unadjusted mean = 14.76	Unadjusted mean = 15.17	Mean difference = -0.41	Study reported = -0.03	Not statistically significant, p = 0.83	Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.
High	Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (BITSEA), Competence score, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	12 months old	161 children	Unadjusted mean = 15.44	Unadjusted mean = 14.88	Mean difference = 0.56	Study reported = 0.16	Not statistically significant, p = 0.31	Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.
High	Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (BITSEA), Problem score, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	12 months old	165 children	Unadjusted mean = 8.82	Unadjusted mean = 8.90	Mean difference = -0.08	Study reported = -0.01	Not statistically significant, p = 0.93	Submitted by user on Fri, 03/15/2019 - 14:29 Negative effect is favorable to the intervention. Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.
High	Developmental Profile-3: Cognitive Section, Cognitive development score, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	12 months old	165 children	Unadjusted mean = 116.20	Unadjusted mean = 115.13	Mean difference = 1.07	HomVEE calculated = 0.07	Not statistically significant, p = 0.65	Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.
High	Infant Characteristics Questionnaire/Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, Difficult temperament, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	6 months old	173 children	Unadjusted mean = 11.70	Unadjusted mean = 12.21	Mean difference = -0.51	HomVEE calculated = -0.09	Not statistically significant, p = 0.55	Submitted by user on Fri, 03/15/2019 - 14:29 Negative effect is favorable to the intervention. Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.
High	Infant Characteristics Questionnaire/Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, Difficult temperament, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	12 months old	164 children	Unadjusted mean = 12.60	Unadjusted mean = 13.30	Mean difference = -0.70	HomVEE calculated = -0.12	Not statistically significant, p = 0.43	Submitted by user on Fri, 03/15/2019 - 14:29 Negative effect is favorable to the intervention. Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.
High	Temperament and Atypical Behavior Scale (TABS), Atypical behavior score, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	12 months old	164 children	Unadjusted mean = 0.95	Unadjusted mean = 1.23	Mean difference = -0.28	Study reported = -0.15	Not statistically significant, p = 0.34	Submitted by user on Fri, 03/15/2019 - 14:29 Negative effect is favorable to the intervention. Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.

Maternal health
Rating	Outcome measure	Effect	Sample	Timing of follow-up	Sample size	Intervention group	Comparison group	Group difference	Effect size	Statistical significance	Notes
High	Parental Cognition and Conduct Toward the Infant Scale (PACOTIS), Parental self-efficacy score, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	6 months old	173 children	Unadjusted mean = 8.80	Unadjusted mean = 8.68	Mean difference = 0.12	Study reported = 0.10	Not statistically significant, p = 0.51	Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.
High	Parenting Stress Index (PSI) short version, Dysfunctional interactions score, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	6 months old	164 children	Unadjusted mean = 17.03	Unadjusted mean = 18.28	Mean difference = -1.25	Study reported = -0.23	Not statistically significant, p = 0.14	Submitted by user on Fri, 03/15/2019 - 14:29 Negative effect is favorable to the intervention. Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.
High	Parenting Stress Index (PSI) short version, Parenting distress score, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	6 months old	172 children	Unadjusted mean = 26.02	Unadjusted mean = 25.55	Mean difference = 0.47	Study reported = 0.06	Not statistically significant, p = 0.69	Submitted by user on Fri, 03/15/2019 - 14:29 Negative effect is favorable to the intervention. Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.

Positive parenting practices
Rating	Outcome measure	Effect	Sample	Timing of follow-up	Sample size	Intervention group	Comparison group	Group difference	Effect size	Statistical significance	Notes
High	Adult Adolescent Parenting Inventory 2 (AAPI-2), Belief in the use of appropriate punishment score, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	12 months old	165 children	Unadjusted mean = 6.40	Unadjusted mean = 6.29	Mean difference = 0.11	Study reported = 0.08	Not statistically significant, p = 0.59	Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.
High	Condon Maternal Attachment Scale, Absence of hostility score, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	6 months old	171 children	Unadjusted mean = 4.39	Unadjusted mean = 4.41	Mean difference = -0.02	Study reported = -0.04	Not statistically significant, p = 0.81	Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.
High	Condon Maternal Attachment Scale, Quality of attachment score, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	6 months old	169 children	Unadjusted mean = 4.70	Unadjusted mean = 4.68	Mean difference = 0.02	HomVEE calculated = 0.06	Not statistically significant, p = 0.70	Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.
High	Mother reads to her child every day, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	12 months old	149 children	Unadjusted proportion = 0.46	Unadjusted proportion = 0.53	Mean difference = -0.07	HomVEE calculated = -0.14	Not statistically significant, p = 0.39	Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.
High	Mother reads to her child, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	12 months old	165 children	Unadjusted proportion = 0.90	Unadjusted proportion = 0.90	Mean difference = 0.00	Study reported = 0.00	Not statistically significant, p = 1.00	Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.
High	Parental Cognition and Conduct Toward the Infant Scale (PACOTIS), Baby comparison scale score, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	6 months old	172 children	Unadjusted mean = 7.52	Unadjusted mean = 7.02	Mean difference = 0.50	Study reported = 0.26	Not statistically significant, p = 0.09	Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.
High	Parental Cognition and Conduct Toward the Infant Scale (PACOTIS), Parental hostile-reactive behaviors score, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	6 months old	171 children	Unadjusted mean = 0.80	Unadjusted mean = 1.06	Mean difference = -0.26	Study reported = -0.22	Not statistically significant, p = 0.15	Submitted by user on Fri, 03/15/2019 - 14:29 Negative effect is favorable to the intervention. Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.
High	Parental Cognition and Conduct Toward the Infant Scale (PACOTIS), Parental overprotection score, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	6 months old	172 children	Unadjusted mean = 6.18	Unadjusted mean = 6.13	Mean difference = 0.05	Study reported = 0.02	Not statistically significant, p = 0.88	Submitted by user on Fri, 03/15/2019 - 14:29 Negative effect is favorable to the intervention. Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.
High	Parental Cognition and Conduct Toward the Infant Scale (PACOTIS), Parental warmth score, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	6 months old	171 children	Unadjusted mean = 9.18	Unadjusted mean = 9.25	Mean difference = -0.07	Study reported = -0.06	Not statistically significant, p = 0.71	Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.
High	Parental Cognition and Conduct Toward the Infant Scale (PACOTIS), Perceived parental impact score, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	6 months old	172 children	Unadjusted mean = 7.25	Unadjusted mean = 7.04	Mean difference = 0.21	Study reported = 0.10	Not statistically significant, p = 0.52	Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.
High	Parental Locus of Control Scale (PLOC), Control of child's behavior score, unweighted	FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect	High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample	6 months old	173 children	Unadjusted mean = 6.92	Unadjusted mean = 7.22	Mean difference = -0.30	Study reported = -0.11	Not statistically significant, p = 0.47	Submitted by user on Fri, 03/15/2019 - 14:29 Negative effect is favorable to the intervention. Submitted by nwu on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 18:31 Statistical significance is based on HomVEE calculations.